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Luke 12 · a question people ask

"Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" (12:14). Why did Jesus answer the man this way?

In the text

Luke gives Jesus's words and no other reason. "One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”" (12:13). "But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”" (12:14). Then "He said to them" (12:15): "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses" (12:15) (tap covetousness), and he told the parable of the rich man (12:16-21). Luke doesn't say whether the man's claim was right, what the brother said, or what happened next, and these notes don't either. Favor's Numbers 36 draws a map line to 12:13-15, labelled there as a reading. These notes apply none of it to anyone's family or inheritance.

From Favor's study of Luke 12

Luke 12: Rich toward God

The rich man told his soul it had goods for many years, and God said, "tonight your soul is required of you". Then Jesus told his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life", and in Luke's Greek that soul and that life are one word. The ravens have no barn, and God feeds them.

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Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions